Permit issued for final Brunsbüttel dismantling work

Vattenfall received the first permit for the decommissioning and dismantling of the Brunsbüttel plant in December 2018. At that time, the plant transitioned from its post-operational phase to decommissioning and has been gradually dismantled since.

A second permit is required for the dismantling of the reactor pressure vessel, the biological shield, and parts of the containment building, as well as for the corresponding handling of radioactive materials.

"During the process of obtaining the second decommissioning permit, Vattenfall submitted numerous detailed reports demonstrating compliance with the stringent legal requirements, particularly those relating to radiation protection," the company said.

Schleswig-Holstein Environment Minister Tobias Goldschmidt issued the second decommissioning permit for the Brunsbüttel plant on 15 December. He handed it over to the operator, Vattenfall, in the controlled area at the reactor pressure vessel, which will be dismantled under this permit.

"This second decommissioning permit for the Brunsbüttel nuclear power plant is a milestone," Goldschmidt said. "With this, Schleswig-Holstein has now granted all the necessary decommissioning and dismantling permits under nuclear law for the Krümmel and Brunsbüttel nuclear power plants. Both are under the jurisdiction of Vattenfall, to whom I would like to express my sincere thanks for their excellent cooperation. We are making very rapid progress and today we are taking another major step towards phasing out nuclear power in Schleswig-Holstein."

Ingo Neuhaus, head of nuclear decommissioning at Vattenfall in Germany, said: "With the second and final permit under nuclear law for the dismantling of the plant, we are now taking the next step towards creating a 'greenfield' site for the nuclear power plant. It is also an important milestone in the transformation of the site as part of the energy transition. To ensure that this process continues to proceed smoothly and collaboratively, we will continue to rely on professionalism and transparency in our dealings with the relevant authorities and local stakeholders."

Vattenfall anticipates that the further dismantling of the Brunsbüttel plant will take about another ten years. Afterwards, the site will still house the interim storage facility for nuclear fuel and the new storage facility for low and intermediate-level radioactive waste.

The issued permit for the further dismantling of the Brunsbüttel plant covers the second of two planned dismantling phases under nuclear law. In a third, conventional phase, the dismantling will take place after clearance from nuclear regulatory oversight.